1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cable connector assembly used in wire telephone networks, and more particularly to a low profile cable connector assembly, which can readily and securely terminate wires of a cable.
2. Description of Related Art
A cable connector assembly needs to terminate wires of a cable. Connection of wires of a cable with terminals of a connector can be attained in several ways, such as by applying the insulation displacement connection (IDC) technology, or by using a printed circuit board which interconnects the cable and the connector. U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,563, which has the same assignee as the present invention, discloses an RJ-45 cable connector assembly. The assembly includes a wire-securing element having a base, a plurality of vertical receiving grooves and a plurality of vertical through holes. The receiving grooves are defined in a front portion of the base for receiving engaging portions of contacts of the assembly. The through holes are defined in a rear portion of the base and in communication with the receiving grooves. Wires of a cable are pressed and embedded in the receiving grooves of the wire-securing element by the engaging portions of the contacts. However, the electrical connection between the engaging portions of the contacts and the wires is less reliable and durable. When an electronic device, in which the cable connector assembly is mounted, is moved to different spots, the cable is inevitably pulled or dragged to some extent. Thus, the electrical connection will not be reliable and the signal transmission therebetween will be adversely affected.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/005,735, which has the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a cable connector assembly having another connection type between terminals and wires. The cable connector assembly includes a housing defining a receiving space for receiving a complementary connector, and a terminal module for being assembled in the housing. The terminal module comprises a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. Each terminal comprises a mounting portion insert molded in the horizontal portion, a tail portion extending upwardly from a rear end of the mounting portion for connecting with a corresponding conductor of a wire, and an inclined contacting portion extending upwardly from a front end of the mounting portion. The tail portions of the terminals are first soldered to the conductors of the cable at upper ends thereof, and then insert molded in the vertical portion of the terminal module together. The connection between the terminals and the conductors is reliable enough. However, to ensure a reliable connection between the terminals and the conductors, the terminals must be accurately aligned with the conductors at the upper ends thereof, which complicates assembly. Furthermore, since the conductors of the cable protrude through the top of the vertical portion of the base, the overall height of the cable connector assembly is thus increased. Therefore, there still remains room for decrease in the height of such a cable connector assembly.
Hence, it is desired to have an improved cable connector assembly that addresses the problems encountered in the related art.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector assembly which terminates wires reliably and durably.
An other object of the present invention is to provide a lower profile cable connector assembly.
To achieve the above objects, a cable connector assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an electrical connector and a cable having a plurality of wires. The electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing, a plurality of terminals and a wire spacer. The dielectric housing defines a receiving space at the front thereof, and a receiving opening at the rear thereof. The terminals are securely received in the dielectric housing. Each terminal includes a contact portion extending into the receiving space, a retaining portion and a tail portion. The wire spacer is inserted into the receiving opening of the housing. The wire spacer includes a body defining a plurality of grooves for receiving conductors of the wires therein which contact the tail portions of the terminals. A window is defined in the body corresponding to the tail portions of the terminals received in the housing. A termination tool can insert through the window to form solder connection between the conductors of the wires and the tail portions of the terminals.